Ianto's Question
by better-than-catastrophe
Summary: Ianto has questions but will jack be prepared to answer them?
1. Chapter 1

Ianto's Question

Ianto slid back down the ladder quietly. He padded over to Jack stopping at the side of the bed. Jack was still shouting he did this sometimes when he slept he screamed and screamed but he never told Ianto why.

Ianto knelt down to his side he leant into his ear and placed a hand on his chest whispering softly to him.

"Jack.." Jack shot up suddenly eyes blinking madly.

"WHAT ?..what is it what's wrong?...are you okay?" was his final question as he turned to look at Ianto kneeling by the bed. Ianto nodded patting Jack's chest to get him to relax a little.

"Im fine Im fine I promise" he anwered soothingly.

"You were shouting" Ianto said looking to the floor.

"Wa...was i i'm sorry" Jack replied softly. Ianto continued to look at the floor for a few seconds then asked.

" When...when are you going to tell me Jack" Jack leaned forward cupping Iantos face and turning it towards his own.

" Are you sure?....Your sure you want to know why"

Ianto looked deep into Jack's eyes before replying.

" Yes Jack yes i want to know if its your trouble then its mine" he said quietly

Jack smiled softly at those last words before sliding over on the bed sitting up cross legged he patted the empty space he had left. Ianto climbed up onto the bed and sat cross legged facing Jack. Jack looked at Ianto before asking again.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes I'm sure"

Jack Lent forward slightly taking Ianto's hands as if bracing himself for the story he was about to tell. Ianto squeezed his hands lightly to let him know he was there. Jack closed his eyes and began to speak.

" A long time ago...in my past and what will be many peoples future." he paused.

Ianto squeezed again "come on Jack you can do this im with you".

Jack started again. " A long time ago...in my past and what will be many peoples future...I travelled with the most brilliant man and brilliant women you could ever meet" "we would travel and fight and travel and fight and always be able to laugh about it we would laugh so much" Jack paused again and took a deep breath in.

" It was the doctor..." Ianto's eyes opened slightly wider.

"As in.."

"Our doctor..yes..the very same" Jack answered before he could even ask.

" okay ..continue" Ianto replied.

" He was a brilliant man Ianto a genius a funny charming genius at that." Jack smiled softly. "And he taught me so much. He showed me there's so much in the world that happens everyday that is worth fighting for and protecting"

"Only one day on our adventures we ran into a time lords largest enemy"

Ianto waited and when Jack didn't say anything he asked quietly.

"And who is that?"

" Have you heard of the Daleks Ianto?"

Ianto looked up in horror. Jack looked up when he didn't answer.

"Ill take that as a yes then" He said before looking back down again.

"Well they'd been rebuilding themselves on the edge of the universe in the dark space. And there was this station the game station they called it. It was a massive reality TV station but the programs didn't have happy endings." Jack paused again squeezing Ianto's hands.

"Still okay? Want me to continue?" Ianto just nodded slowly. Jack smiled at him reassuringly.

"Well me the doctor and rose all got caught in a transmat beam coming from the station sucked us out of the TAR...erm the doctors spaceship and we got trapped in the games." Jack sighed softly and Ianto moved closer putting his arms around realising it was getting harder for him to talk about this.

"Shhh..Jack in your own time" Ianto whispered softly.

"Well the doctor was the first to get out of the games me second but rose was still trapped...we got there just not in enough time she was shot with a disintegrater beam" Ianto gasped aloud. Jack looked up "you okay?"

"Yes yes Ianto answered hurridly sorry I just caught up in the story a little too much" he said smiling slightly at Jack.

"Well the doctor was distraught stormed up to the top floor of the building demanding to talk to the controller of the game station. I headed for the TA...the doctors spaceship I knew she could work it out if I asked and helped a little."

"She.?" Ianto questioned.

Jack grinned "Doctor's choice not mine" He answered.

"Well that's how we figured out it was the Daleks they had rose and we had to save her so we headed right into the middle of the newly regrown Dalek fleet to get her."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Ianto exclaimed suddenly.

"Hey..you know me never to leave a girl in distress and near mortal peril" Jack said smirking slightly.

"Never to leave a man in those circumstances either" Ianto replied sarkily.

Jack just grinned. "Anyway as i was saying so we flew right into the middle of the Dalek fleet to get her we did almost got shot to pieces in the process but we did it"

"Well we went back to the satellite station the Daleks plan was to invade earth kill everyone and then use the body's to make more Daleks but once they found out the doctor was still alive he became the main target the last of the time lords the Daleks greatest foe."

"So the Daleks headed for the game station. Only the doctor had a plan. He just needed time so i offered to round up troops and get the time. I kissed him and rose goodbye knowing id probably never see them again." Jack stopped eyes welling up now tears starting to softly run down his face. "Ianto...I ca...I can't" Ianto took hold of him pulling him close into a tight hug.

"Shh Jack shhh you don't have too you don't have too its fine it can wait"

Jack cried and cried into Ianto's chest and Ianto didn't say anything. He just stroked his back soothingly and shushing him. Jack yawned softly. Ianto still said nothing just kept stroking but there was a small frown upon his face. Jack closed his eyes and the next time Ianto looked down to check on him he was asleep. Ianto slid out from underneath him and layed him in the bed pulling the covers up over him. He climbed up the ladder and wandered up into Jack's office took a post it note and scribbled on it. He stuck it to the monitor of Jack's computer then headed back down to Jack laying beside him on the bed and falling asleep.

Jack got up early the next morning and headed up to his office to take and early conference call he had with U.N.I.T as he sat at his desk waiting for his phone to ring. As he sat down the bright orange of the post it note caught his eye he picked it up.

and read to himself

Dinner my place?....maybe i can hear the end?

Jack smiled to himself tomorrow night was going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

Ianto's Question pt2

Jack turned up outside of Ianto's apartment at 8 on the dot as requested. Well he was 8 seconds early..did that matter..he hoped it didn't. He knocked and then waited patiently for Ianto to answer. A few seconds later probably the 8 early he had been. Jack slid past Ianto and into his apartment.

"Coat" Ianto said firmly.

"Awww but.." Jack began to say.

"Coat or you don't eat" Ianto cut in.

"Awww but its my baby" Jack pouted. Ianto held firm arm outstretched waiting for Jack's coat.

"Fine fine you can have it" Jack shrugged out of his coat and handed it to Ianto.

Ianto hung it up beside his next to the door.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Ianto asked rhetorically.

Jack smiled turning and pressing up into Ianto.

"You tell me." Ianto didn't reply he just coughed slightly then pulled himself away form Jack and headed towards the kitchen.

Jack sighed hanging his head staring at the floor for a few minutes he wasn't getting out of this as easily as he'd thought. Jack made his way down the rest of the passage and sat at the table watching Ianto fuss over the pans.

"It'll be done soon just have to heat up the plates" He said without even turning around. Jack didn't reply just sat at the table frowning slightly at Ianto's back.

"Ask the question or i fear you may explode" Ianto said turning to face Jack.

"Why...*he sighed*...why do you want to know this?" Jack asked softly.

Ianto smiled and sat down opposite Jack at the table.

"I want to know because i see it bothering you every night i see you being tortured by it and i can't help. I want you to tell me so then maybe i could understand and help you. I just want to help you Jack. I just want you to be able to talk to me." He jumped up from the table and started to put out food a few minutes later he came back placing two plates of spaghetti bolognase on the table before moving away again then he placed a glass of water down for Jack and a glass of red wine down for himself.

He ate in silence not once looking up at Jack. Until Jack's fork hit his plate and he cleared his throat.

"I'd like to be able to talk to you too. Just to talk with someone even if they don't understand." Ianto slid out from his seat and took hold of Jack's hand lightly leading him from the table down the hall to his bedroom and pulling him inside he pulled him up onto the bed. They both settled against the pillows. Jack turned to look at Ianto.

"Are you sure you want to know this?" he asked softly.

"I'm sure because if you tell me then maybe I could try and understand and then i could help. I just want you to feel like you can talk to me and know ill listen no matter what you have to say."

Jack smiled gently "Then i believe i have a story to finish. Remind me where was i again?" He asked trying to gather his thoughts.

"You where back at the game station you had just kissed the doc...can i call him that?" Ianto asked a little unsure. Jack giggled "I'm sure he wont mind."

"Well you'd just kiss the doc and rose goodbye and you where going to round up troops" Ianto blurted out as if it had been on his mind all day.

Right Jack said.

"I headed down to floor 0 there where over 100 stranded passengers I was going to see if any of them wanted to help us fight. Well no one would believe that the Daleks were back and there was this one guy that would not stop shouting his mouth off. So in typical fashion i shot the ceiling and made a speech that went something like this. You stay here then and when you hear us fighting as you hear us dying and screaming in pain then you tell me the Daleks don't exist."

"Nice speech" Ianto slipped in.

"Thank you" Jack said smiling.

"So i took what volunteers i had and stationed them on the top 4 floors of the game station the Doctor being on the top floor. He was building a machine with rose to create a massive EMP wave to wipe the Daleks clean out thing is it was going to fry half of the people on earth if it worked too. But that's the choices he makes the doc lose half of lose all." Jack sighed heavily. Ianto looked up at him.

"Are you sure your okay?" Ianto asked softly.

"Yes fine I want to do this" He said smiling back.

"So i set up the volunteers then ran up to the top floor when i got there rose was gone and the doc was working furiously. I asked him where she'd gone he turned to me and said. I've sent her home. I nodded I knew it was the right thing to do but i could also see how it was breaking him apart inside he knew none of us where going to survive this and he wanted her safe." He closed his eyes breathing for a while.

"The Daleks came but they didn't go straight up as we expected they went down to floor 0 and killed everyone then they came back up fighting there way to the top floor i watched some Daleks get destroyed and I watched people dying beside me and around me. I was last man standing fighting right up to the door the doctor was behind." He sighed. Ianto squeezed his hands softly urging him on.

"I yelled out to him that he better be ready then i was backed up to the wall by daleks. The shrill yell of EXTERMINATE I still hear it sometimes when I close my eyes."

"I just smiled and held up my arms yelling back. I figured that." He paused looking up at Ianto looking right into his face.

"It shot me Ianto it was so painful and i died that day millions of years in the future." Jack looked down at the bed.

Ianto moved forward pulling him into a tight hug.

"It's okay Jack it's okay I've got you I've got you."

"The next thing i remember is waking up breathing in sharply and being alive. It was rose i know it was. I clambered to my feet and i heard that dreadful noise of the Tardis leaving."

"I ran I ran as hard as I could but I collapsed i couldn't make it in time. He'd left me behind....all on my own...I don't know what happened to either of them..rose is on the list of the dead from the battle of canary wharf." Jack started to cry silently tears rolling down his cheeks the sound echoing round the room as it hit Ianto's shirt.

"And your waiting for the doctor to turn up here..to refuel...so you can get some answers of him why you cant die? if he saved rose?.....If..If you'll ever be normal again?" Ianto said sighing slightly at the end.

"Oh Jack I hope you find him and i hop e he gives you all the answers you wish for." He pulled Jack down to lay on the bed. holding him close to his chest.

"I understand Jack and I want you to know I'm not afraid and I'm here to help you." Ianto whispered to Jack as he fell asleep on his chest.

"I'm not afraid." He whispered once more before falling asleep too.


End file.
